Friday, August 3, 2012

Meet the Leading Lions: Brian DeVeau

DeVeau made regular headlines as a QB at New Jersey's Kinnelon HS, but the moment they saw him Columbia's recruiters knew they wanted to use his size and speed in the defensive backfield.

Career Highlights

2009

-Spent a lot of time with the varsity, although he did not break onto the field in any games his freshman year.

2010

-Switched to WR in the spring as the coaching staff sought to shake up the receiving corps in the wake of Austin Knowlin's '10 graduation.

-Caught his first pass late in the 2nd quarter of the season opener against Fordham. Caught a crucial second pass on the Lions final drive of the game to convert a 4th and 1 play. Finished the game with two catches for 16 yards.

-Got his first start in week two against Towson. Didn't catch a pass in the game, but recovered a fumble and gained 9 yards on a nifty reverse that was called back on a penalty.

-Caught his first TD pass on a great run after the catch against Princeton in week three.

2011

-With the graduations of Calvin Otis '11 and Adam Mehrer '11, DeVeau moved back to DB to help shore up the unit.

-Got into eight games and finished the season with 18 total tackles.

Scouting Report

Fast and determined, but needs more consistency. Will be tested this season at corner, but brings the most experience to the table.

Jake's Take

You don't have to be a genius to see that DeVeau is the consummate team player, always filling in where needed at multiple positions. His height and speed make him a good bet to hold the starting corner position if he isn't knocked off by one of the frosh. Head Coach Pete Mangurian gave DeVeau a a tentative vote of confidence tentative vote of confidence after the spring game. But that's better than no mention at all.

I'm really rooting for DeVeau to make a serious impact this fall and keep that starting slot throughout. Few players have worked harder and been willing to make more changes for the team and to get a chance to contribute.

The key to our season will be the play of the DBs. We were too slow last year, gave up a 68% completion rate. If we improve pass coverage, we can be competitive. A stronger front seven should help the DBs, too.